1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to traffic redirection in a wireless network. More particularly the invention discloses a method, system and program product to counter anti-traffic redirection mechanisms.
2. Background of the Technology
Wireless communication networks have become an integral part of today's digital lifestyle. The necessity and the desire to remain connected at all points of time has resulted in wireless operators expanding their networks to almost all conceivable parts of the world.
Different standards and protocols have been adopted in the industry, depending upon the users' requirement and the preference of the operators in a particular geographical location. Some of the popular technologies that are present in this domain include GSM, GPRS, 3G, CDMA, WCDMA, TDMA, WLL, WiFi, WiMax and VoIP. All of these technologies have their merits and shortcomings and provide a gamut of voice based and data based services. A network operator may be providing one or more of voice/data service using one or a combination of the aforementioned technologies.
In order to prevent monopoly of a service provider, various geographical zones are allotted to one or more network operators. These operators usually provide competitive services in their zone. A particular network operator may be present in more than one geographical zone. In order to provide seamless service to a subscriber, the network operators not only cater to the subscribers directly registered with them but also to their subscribers from other zones and/or the subscribers of other network operators with whom they have a “roaming” agreement. Often, those roaming arrangements are bilateral, such that the subscribers of each geographically diverse operator are enabled to receive roaming service within the zone of the other operator. The network with which the subscriber has a direct relationship is called the subscriber's Home Network. Any other network in which the user may roam is called the Visiting Network. The subscriber is referred to as an outbound roamer from the perspective of the Home Network and an inbound roamer from the perspective of the Visited Network.
As mentioned above, at any given geographical location, there maybe more than one network operator providing one or more kinds of service. The home network of the roaming user may prefer one visited network over another, or may want to allocate varying percentages of their outbound roamers' traffic to different operators. Various factors such as commercial terms, quality of service, range of service and the like would dictate such a preference or roaming distribution. Under ideal scenario the home network would make all possible efforts to ensure that its outbound roamers register to the visited network operator that it prefers in that case.
Traffic Redirection (TR) or Steering of Roaming (SoR) is a method by which the home network operators use the messages exchanged in a Mobile Application Part (MAP) based signaling scheme so as to steer their subscribers to attempt connection with the preferred network/s according to some logics or distribution. The term preferred network is used herein, to refer either static preferences of one network over another or dynamic preference of one network over another based on some logics or distribution (e.g. subscriber profiles, the visiting country, current distribution of outbound roamers in the country).
Due to the magnitude of revenues generated through inbound roaming, operators are always motivated to capture the maximum amount possible of inbound roaming traffic. Billboards and advertisements at airports and borders, and the competition among operators to install the most powerful transmitters at those locations bear witness to that. With the advent of Steering of Roaming, operators today are motivated to disrupt traffic redirection attempts and try to cause inbound roamers to register automatically with their networks. This not only results in loss of revenues to the home network operator but also may not provide the subscriber the best quality and range of services as desired by the home network operator.
There is a need in the art for a method and system that counters the anti-traffic redirection attempts and steers roamers back to the preferred networks.